Ironing-machine.



W. H. OLVER.

IRONING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 5, 1907.

02,676., Patented N0v.3,1908.

UNT

@FFICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 3, 1908.

Application filed September 5, 1907. Serial No. 391,490.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. OLVER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oshkosh, in the county of Winnebago and State of Wisconsin, have invented a new and-useful improvement in ironing-machines for the use of tailors and those doing pressing with sad-irons, of which the following is a specification.

.My invention relates to improvements in the mechanism for relieving theperson doing the pressing work upon garments from a portion of the weight of the sad iron, by suspending it by means of aspring connection from a tandem trolley which is arranged for running upon a track laced above and parallel with the ress table and its stand, and the object of t e improvement is to produce a practicable device that can be furmshed at such a low cost as to be within the reach of all persons doing such work, and a device that can be easily installed in any room where pressing of garments is carried on.

My improvement is illustrated in the ac? companying drawing, in which,

Figure 1 1s a side elevation of the side of a ressing table, a ress stand thereon, a sad iron, the ceiling o a room in vertical section, a track rail suspended from the ceiling, a tandem trolley upon said rail and a spring connection between the trolley upon said rail and the sad iron. Fig. 2 is an elevation showing the end of the press table with all of the parts shown in Fig. 1 in the position they appear from such end view. Fig. 3 is a vertlcal section of the spring connection, brokeninto two parts for want of room, which I employ for a connection between the trolley and sad iron. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the same turned one quarter around, and one of the collars upon it in a higher osition, and having a strap connection, bro en for want of room, below the spring'device. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a hanger in which the track rail is su ported. Fig. 6 is a plan of the tandem tro ey wheels in their hanger. Fig. 7 is an edge view of a trolley wheel and a transverse'section of a track rail formed of wood. Fig. 8 is an edge view of a trolley'wheel of a modified form from that shown in Fig. 7, and a transverse section of a track rail formed of a metallic bar. Fig. 9 is a plan of a screw eye, which may be used in suspending the sad iron from the spring device. Fig. 10 is an end view of a stirrup handle, used in suspending the sad iron from the spring connection. Fig. 11 is an edge and side elevation of the straps for adapting the device to rooms of different heights one being longer than the. other. Figs. 3 to 11 inclusive, are upon a larger scale than the two-others.

Similar numerals and letters indicate like parts in all of the views.

1, indicates a tailors press table; 2, a press stand thereon; 3 a sad 11'011 having a handle 4; 5, a sad iron stand, which may be a sheet of asbestos paper, or other suitable material; 6, the ceilin of a room from which the trolley track rail is suspended; 7, 7, two pieces of wood to be secured to the ceiling of a room, and to each one of which one of the supporting hangers 8 is to be attached with screws 9. In rooms ceiled with wood ceiling, the hangers can be screwed directly to the ceiling,the pieces 7 being dispensed with.

The hangers are easiest made from-a strip of band iron, bent into the form shown in Fig. 5, the rail 10 or 10, being laid into the rail seat 8 and where it may be secured from endwise movement by inserting a pin 12 throu h the hanger and rail, see Figs. 1 and 5. This track rail may be of wood, as in Figs. 1 and 7, orof metal as 10, of Fig. 8. It is desirable that either the rail or trolley Wheels be made of wood, or some non-metallic material, so that the running of the wheels over the track may be as near'noiseless as possible. The trolley wheels 11 or 11, whichever is used, I arrange in a hanger, as 13, in a tandem manner, as experience has demonstrated the superiority of this arrangement over that of a single wheel in evenness of running. I

The hangers may be of any suitable style, such as is shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 6 being well suited for the purpose, it being formed of band metal of a suitable dimension, with a spacing block 14 between the two hanger pieces, 13" and 13 rivets or bolts 15, being inserted throu h both pieces and the spacing block, and bo ts 16, inserted through said pieces and the trollev wheels. The connection between the trolley hanger and sad iron consists of several parts which are connected together in such a manner as to make some of them adjustable as regards length.

A tube 17 is provided, having inside of it a.

spiral spring, 18, which when contracted, is perhaps two thirds of the length of said tube.

7 Its cells are wound close together and its resiliency is made eflective by pulling the ends apart. Each end of the coil is provided with an eye, 19, through the up er one of which a bolt 20 is inserted, the b0 t passing through slots 21 which are cut a suitable length through opposite sides of the tube, the bolt being provided with a thumb nut 20 for securing the bolt, and consequently the upper end of the spring in the desired vertical position, by screwing the thumb nut on tig tly, as more or less of the stretch of the spring is desired. The upper end of the tube is provided with a bolt 22, which passes through-it for suspending the tube by means of the strap 23, from the hanger13. This connecting device may be of metal or of someflexible material. The lower end of the spring is connected to the tube by a bolt 24, which passes through the slots 25, and is provided with a nut 24 the slots being cut through opposite sides of the tube, and a collar 26 loose enough to slide up and down easily being placed upon the tube and through which the olt 24 passes for the free movement of the bolt, as the spring in the use of the device plays up and down. This collar is shown in igs. 1, 2 and 3, at its lowest limit and the spring as being (inFig. 3,) stretched to some extent, but in Fig. 4 it is at the upward limit of the slot 25. A collar 27, provided with a clamp screw 27", is secured to the tube for limiting the downward movement of the spring. By moving this collar upward upon the tube, the extent of the stretch of the spring is lessened, and by lowering it its extent is increased. Attached to .the bolt 24 is a link 28, which is extended downward and is connected by means of the connection 29,

iron easier. Another important which connection is preferably as shown, a leather strap, with the stirrup handle 30. This stirrup handle may .be formed of a piece of band iron, has holes 31, near each end and a rivet pin 32 at its mid-length for securing one end of the strap to it at 33, and a knob 34, upon which to connect the other end of the strap, the strap being provided with a plurality ofslits, or button holes 35 for buttoning over the knob 34. Extending downward from the holes 31, are connections '36, which extend to and connect with the handle 4 of the sad iron, by means of screw e es 37, which are screwed into thehandle. T ese connections may be a wire, but are preferably of aflexible material, as a rope of wire or hemp.

For adapting the device for rooms of dif ferent height, straps 23, "of different length are supplied, all the other parts being adapt ed for any height of room. In suspending the sad iron from the stirrup handle 30 by the connections 36, upon raising one end of the sad nor; more than the other, the spring equahzes the amount of weight at the ends of the sad iron which the person using it is reheved of, and makes the handling of the sad part is the ad ustment of the collar 27, which can be regulated to prevent the sad iron from drop pin more than about one inch below the level I of t e pressstand, andthen to carry the total weight of it while it is'not in use, and thereby doing away with the necessity of a stand to rest the iron uponwhile not using it. It saves the labor of lifting the ironfrom the table to the ress stand.

Some wor of tailors requires heat in the iron and a rapid movement of it, more than it does weight, and consequently, the person doing the pressingis required to carry the larger part of this weight, and often for a long time, which then useless weight, this improvement is designed to relieve the person of, who is doing the pressing. For adjusting the amount of weight to be carried, for a long period of time in pressing, the adjustment can be made by raising or lowering the bolt 20, but for any sudden requirement, the ad justment can be made by means of changing the length of the strap, on the knob 34.

" The device is to be used as follows :Adjustment of the spring in accordance with the weight, that the operator is desirous of being relieved of, having been made, the operator grasps the sad iron handle in the usual manner and lifts it up to the work upon the press stand and inoves it back and'forth upon the work in hand in the usual manner, the trolley following every back and forth. movement,

and it being much easier to bear down than to lift up, any desired pressure can be applied upon the work with much less fatigue than if the entire weight of the sad iron had ments, a single track rail suspended from a fixed surface parallel with and above the pressing table, a single pair of trolley wheels mounted tandem upon said track rail, a ban er depending from said pair of tandem trolfiey wheels, and a connection between said trolley wheel hanger and the sad iron consisting of several separate sections, one of which is detachable, and one ofwhich coin rises a tube, a coiled spring arranged wit tube, the upper end of which spring is pro vided with means for its connection with and vertical adjustment upon said tube, and its lower end having an easy moving and limited vertical movement thereon.

2. In a device for relieving the user of part of the weight of the sad iron in ress ing arments, two hangers adapted to he secure to the ceiling of a room in which the device is used, a single track rail ada ted to be mounted in said hangers and suita ly secured therein, a single pair of trolley wheels mounted ing the upper en eoaere formed of a non-metallic material, and a connection between the trolley wheel hanger and sad iron consisting of a plurality of separable sections, one of which comprises a tube, a coiled spring within the tube, the u per end of which spring has a vertically a justable connection with said tube, and its lower end an easily movable, limited vertical move ment therein.

3. In a device for relieving the user of part of the weight of the sad iron in pressing garments, a track rail adapted for suspension in suitable hangers from a fixed surface above and parallel with the pressin table, a trolley device arranged in a suita 1e hanger and adapted to be rolled along said track rail, and a connection between the trolley hanger and sad iron consisting in part of a tube with which the hanger and sad iron are connected, a spiral spring connected to said tube inside thereof near its up er end, means for adjustof said spring vertically within the tube, a link connecting with the lower end of said spring by means of a bolt passing through one end of said link and through slots in opposite sides of the tube, and a suitable connection between the lower end of said link and thesad iron.

4. In a device for relieving the user of part of the weight nit the and iron pressing garments, a track rail for suspension from a fixed surface above, parallel with the ressing table in blehangers, a trol-.

ley evice arranged in a on, hanger and adapted to be rolled along said track rail, a connection between hanger and the sad iron, consisting p or a tribe, asuitable connection for eonnec hanger and tube, a spiral spring inside ofsaid tube and adjustably connected with the tube at its upper end, a connecting with its lower en through slots'arrang or the tube in opposite sides thereof and easily mova m 5mg ornynn,

Witnesses:

S. G; M.

by means oi belt which passes 

